


The Wild Hunt

by vilnolin



Series: Tales of the Winchester Clan [6]
Category: Dark Angel, Supernatural
Genre: Gen, Tales of the Winchester Clan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2014-12-23
Packaged: 2018-03-03 02:21:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2834642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vilnolin/pseuds/vilnolin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Death makes Alec and his pack an offer.</p><p> </p><p>  <img/></p>
            </blockquote>





	The Wild Hunt

                Alec was not happy.  No, no, he was certainly _not_ happy.  This was absolutely fucking ridiculous.  “You did _what_?”

                Felix sighed, cradling the strangely transparent puppy tighter to his chest.  “I bred Cerb with a wolf.  We got puppies.”

                “While I do question the logic of hybridization , that’s not what I’m talking about and you know it,” Alec said, as he picked up another of the small litter, this one more…tangible.  “ I’m talking about _him_.”

                The ‘him’ in question was currently crouched next to the hell hound Felix had named Cerb, making sure she had come through motherhood alright.  Felix shrugged.  “Who else do we know who can tell us about hell hounds?  Besides, Cerb was once his, he deserves to see her offspring!”

                “You know we set up devil’s traps for a reason, and it’s not because they’re pretty.”

                Felix looked genuinely hurt.  “Look, he’s a demon.  So what?”

                The list that ran through Alec’s mind was quite extensive, but he limited himself to, “Felix, you’re missing the point of _demons_.  They’re not exactly on the side of good, are they?”

                “And we are? Sure, we helped restore balance, stopped some big bad and saved the world, but come on.  We’re human animal hybrids designed to assassinate people.  Hard to see ‘good’ in that.” He paused, smiling as the hell hound pup in his arms gave a yawn.  “I know you’re my alpha and all, but if you’re seriously going to dictate what _friends_ I can have…”

                “If I’m causing trouble, I can always leave.”  Crowley rasped, stepping into the conversation.  He chuckled at their expressions.  “I’m a demon, not deaf.”

                “I’m having trust issues.”  Alec admitted, meeting the king of Hell’s gaze, “And I don’t like you just popping up here.”

                “So, if I make a request…it would be alright?”  Alec stared at Crowley, who put his hands up, “Hey, I’m just asking.  I know it’s hard to believe, but I love my hounds.  And I like to check in, make sure Felix here is really up to the challenge of raising one of these adorable hell beasts.”  He picked up another of the wandering puppies, allowing it to lick his nose.

                And Alec hated the fact that he was telling the truth.  “No deals.  None.  I catch wind you’ve made any…”

                Crowley used a free hand to wave him off, still holding the pup.  “Pft.  Your pack is too smart to sell their souls, and besides, ”  He placed the puppy back on the ground, following its progress back to its mother.  “My hounds _know_ people, they have to.  And they _like_ you and yours.  Which means _I_ like you.”  He sounded very disgruntled to admit that.  “ _You_ should get to know me.  You might even like me.”

                “He does, that’s the problem.”  Felix supplied, helpfully.  “It’s the whole residual _Winchester_ thing—he feels like he has to hate you on principle.”  Alec smacked him in the arm.  “What?  It’s true.  It’s not like you’re the only one with insights into how your brain works.”

                Whatever response Alec was about to give was cut short as his senses registered something…wrong.  It was so…still.  Crowley even paused.  Cerb had already began rounding up the rest of the litter, and Felix was attempting to soothe her.  “I…I don’t like this.” Crowley frowned.  “Growley, come.”  His hell hound appeared instantly at his side, ready to defend his master.

                And then, everything went silent.

                For a moment, Alec felt as if he had gone deaf, but there was something, _something_ at the edge of his hearing…he could just barely make out the sound of a horse.

                There was a man standing in front of them.  He was pale, thin and tall, and leaned on a silver-capped cane.  Everything about him exuded power, and a lot of it.  He glanced towards Crowley and his hound, and gave a great sigh.  “Why am I not surprised to find you here?  You know how much Dean disapproves.”

                Crowley took a moment, seemingly collecting himself.  “I wasn’t aware I needed his _permission_.” He rasped, sounding vaguely annoyed.  Alec could _see_ the tension and irritation rolling off the King of Hell, and was sure that it was only the _power_ of this man keeping him in check.

                This wasn’t a situation he wanted to be in.  “I’m sorry to interrupt,” Alec started, stepping out of the tight little cluster he had found himself in, “but this is private property.”

                The pale man raised an eyebrow.  “I didn’t realize I required an appointment.”  The barest hint of an amused smile quirked the edge of the man’s lips.  “You are most _certainly_ Dean’s clone, if more polite.  In fact, I’ve just been to see him.”  He looked around, taking in his surroundings.  “Is there somewhere more…private we can speak?”

                “That depends on who you are.”  Alec said, even as Crowley started hissing, ‘don’t provoke him’.  Crowley’s warning set off alarms in Alec’s head, even as the stranger gave an agitated sigh.

                “Yes, truly Dean’s clone.  Crowley, I must ask you to continue your business at another time.”

                The demon carefully returned his held pup to Felix, before saying, “Right, boss.”  And with that, both Crowley and his hound were gone.

                The stranger then turned back to Alec and Felix.  “Can we take this inside?”  He gestured towards Alec’s tent.

                The whole camp was tense; Alec could feel his pack as they discovered that there was a guest.  He was also proud, as all of them seemed to understand there was _power_ here.  Slowly, he nodded, and with a sweeping motion of his hand, gestured for the man to lead on.  Behind his back, he signed: _I don’t have a good feeling about this._   Felix’s huff was agreement enough.

                “Secrets don’t make friends.”  The man admonished, stopping as he reached the tent’s ‘door’.  “I also believe the tent is occupied.”

                “My mate, Keegan.”  Alec supplied, stepping past the man and entering his room.  Keegan was sitting on their bed, looking nervous, and he held up a hand, flashing her the ‘ok’ sign.  She didn’t look relieved, especially as the man stepped over the threshold.  Alec waited until Felix had entered as well, before turning his attention back to their unwanted visitor.  “Now, who are you?”

                But the man wasn’t paying attention to him; he was watching Keegan’s reaction with a small smile.  “I see part of you remembers.”

                Now Alec was pissed.  “ _Who_ are you?”

                And the man’s attention turned to him.  “I’m Death.” And he paused, as if waiting for them to take the statement in.

                Unfortunately, if he wanted a grand reaction, he was disappointed.  Felix seemed quite comfortable in his pronouncement, sitting on a convenient chair with a ‘huh’.  Keegan went paler.  And Alec, for his part, was trying to keep himself together; he could _feel_ the truth of the statement, and it struck him to the core.  It was worse than the angels; this was _power_.  “So, why are you here?  Dean told me you usually work through Reapers.”

                Death smiled, and it was a little disconcerting.  “I do, but I’m not here to ferry any of you to Beyond.  I’m here to give you a promotion, as it were.”

                “We don’t work for you.”  Felix said, sounding thoughtful.  “I was pretty sure we were kinda working off the Winchesters.”

                Death’s expression soured.  “Yes, and it would seem they’ve become something of a Force in this world.  Which is why this is a _promotion_ ; you’ll now be in _my_ employ.”

                Only then did Felix look alarmed, and, as if sensing his agitation, Cerb nosed her way into the tent, her puppies right behind her, and curled on his feet, eyes focused on Death.  He put a hand on the hound’s head, seemingly drawing strength.  “I take it we don’t get a choice.”

                “Come now, I’m not _that_ much of a horrible boss.  Of course you get a choice.”

                “I think we should hear the job description before making any choice.”  Keegan said, softly, cutting off the reply Alec had been just about to say.  “And we thank you for taking the time to come here personally.”  Her entire manner was…off.  It reminded Alec of the few interactions they had with the Faerie.

                “Yes, thank you.”  Alec said, following Keegan’s lead.  “Speaking of, would you like to sit?”  he gestured to the other chair in the room, and Death actually smiled again.

                “You are much more polite than your brother,” he said as he settled into the seat, “But then again, _he_ doesn’t have such a lovely Fey teaching him the ways of the world.”  He gave a nod to Keegan, whose unease was practically palatable.  “Before I get to why I’m here, Keegan,”  She stiffened in her seat on the bed, “how have _you_ been managing since you gave up your Faerie side?  Adjusting to being mortal?”

                Alec sat beside her, putting a hand on her shoulder.  She leaned in to him, taking comfort before answering the pale man.  “I’m…managing.”  She said, finally.  “It’s very…constraining.”  Alec held her tighter, and she smiled at him; she hadn’t spoken of any of this aloud before, but he could sense it.

                Death nodded thoughtfully.  “Seldom rejoice in their decision to become mortal.  It, I’m told, is not a comfortable experience.”  He went quiet for a long moment, with the only sound coming from the small puppies’ yips.  “Alec, I must ask you, do you speak for all of your pack?”

                Alec swallowed hard, thinking fast.  “I would like to think so, but any large decision is a majority vote.”

                Death nodded again.  “Then I present this to you, to propose to your pack.”  His tone, even demeanor changed.  “The scales have been tipped too far in the direction of Light.  While the world doesn’t necessarily need Darkness to counterbalance, it does need Fear, and it needs Chaos.  Without those things, the world would simply stop spinning.  I am offering you a chance to _be_ that counterbalance, in the form of the Wild Hunt.”

                Keegan gasped, grabbing Alec’s hand and holding it tight.  Alec gave her a reassuring squeeze before asking, “The Wild Hunt?”

                “Yes.”  Death gave Keegan a reassuring smile, which changed his entire appearance drastically.  “Historically, it’s been led by the greatest Hunters of an age—Hern, Odin, Hellequin—a Hunt that rides across the land, chasing damned souls to hell.  Souls that are good and kind ride with the Hunt, escorted to the River Styx by the huntsmen.”  He paused, looking at the three of them in turn.  “How you ride is up to you, and there will, of course, be abilities that go along with it.”

                “Can you give us any more specifics?”  Keegan asked, her voice barely a whisper.

                “Not until you agree.”  Death said, shaking his head.  “It is, as you may recall, a quite _exclusive_ club.”                There was a heavy silence, and Death breathed out, grasping his cane with both hands and pulling himself to his feet.  “I’ll call on you in one week’s time.  Oh, and Felix,”  He inclined his head towards the litter of puppies crawling on the floor, “my compliments on a lovely hybrid.  The pups are quite adorable.”  Felix practically beamed as Death made his way out of the tent, vanishing in a harsh breeze that ripped through the camp.

                “He liked the puppies.”  Felix mused, picking up several of the litter.  “I like him.”

                Alec rolled his eyes, chuckling.  “You planning on being serious?”

                “Nope.” Felix doffed an invisible cap, scooping up the rest of the puppies.  “I gotta get these guys settled down.  You two kids work this out.”

                “Thanks.”  Keegan called after him, still sounding unnerved.

                Alec didn’t like it.  “So, what can you remember of the Wild Hunt.”

                She gave a little half chuckle, and gestured towards the far trunk.  “At least pour me a drink first.  I think I need it.”

                “Puh, _you_ need it.”  Alec joked, setting off to mix some drinks anyway.  “He seemed to know you.”

                “He would.”  Keegan admitted, taking the proffered drink.  “I caused enough mayhem.  I didn’t…I couldn’t remember what he looked like, but I don’t think a million reincarnations would make me forget what he _felt_ like.”  She gave a shudder, tossing back her drink and holding the glass out for another.  Alec shook his head, snickering to himself.

                “I’m _not_ playing bartender all night.”  He stated, placing his own glass down on the nightstand before getting up and grabbing the bottle of whiskey.  “And you are not getting wasted before telling me about the Wild Hunt.”

                Keegan glared at him.  “You aren’t pouring fast enough.”  He obliged, still chuckling.  “My memories of being fey are mostly gone, you _do_ remember that, right?”  She sighed, taking a sip.  “But, the Hunt was disbanded back during the Black Plague—too many natural deaths killed the impact.   From what I can remember, it was run by a minor death god and traditionally had Hell Hounds running with it.  The huntsmen were all fey, usually a mix of dark and light.  There were always extra steeds, too, for the innocent souls who were pulled in by the Hunt.  See,  the Hunt was kind of like a mass culling—all of the souls scheduled to be reaped were taken by the Hunt.  Malicious people who look upon the Hunt are ripped away, and become the prey they are tracking.  Kind of a pre-Hell, as it were.”  She finished off her drink, and, without waiting for Alec, poured herself another.  “It made people stay in line, the fear that the Hunt could take them.  Part of me understands the need for it now.”

                “Do you think we should accept?”  Alec was swirling his own drink in the glass, having barely touched it.  “I mean, basically we’re reapers but on a mass scale.  The only people who really end up…um, killed early are the ones society would rather not have anyway. Sounds pretty sweet.”

                Keegan finished her third glass of whiskey.  “Also sounds like we’re jumping on the ‘judging souls’ train.  I don’t like stepping on those toes.”

                “You’re mixing metaphors, my love, I think you’ve had enough.”  Her tolerance should be much higher, but Alec found a lot of things about Keegan just didn’t jive with being a regular transgenic.  Heck, he was learning most of his Pack were freaks, even among the freaks.  “Would you follow me if I chose to accept?”

                Her gaze was clear and steady, despite the alcohol.  “Till death.”  Alec smiled at her, leaning forward and kissed her forehead.

                “Till death.”

 

 

* * *

 

                Alec wasn’t surprised when his pack erupted into murmurs, unable to keep themselves quiet despite the fact he still had more to say.  This was big news, huge.  Life changing.  Quite possibly species changing.  He gave them a moment, before he cleared his throat, looking around at the ten that currently made up his pack.  “I’m, honestly, not looking for a majority vote here.  I…well, I’m inclined to take the offer, but I don’t want to make that choice for any of you.   We’ll be… different.  I don’t know how, entirely, because it hasn’t happened yet.  But…”  He trailed off, unsure of how to finish his thoughts.

                His pack seemed to know, and the hodge-podge of X5s and 6s started to diffuse almost immediately.  He was surprised, though, when he realized who was staying.  Of course Felix and Keegan were there, standing in unspoken solidarity, but so were Misha, Clinic and Nixie—an X5 with webbed fingers who had joined up rather recently. That made six in total.  A few more might mull it over, stick around, but he had a feeling that these were the few that were going to stick it out.  It was about half his pack, and most of them were with him back when they still ran with the Winchesters full time.  It made him smile, even if he hid it from view.

                Several hours later, three of the pack had made up their minds, deciding to head off, seek their fortunes with the main Clan.  The other two were on the fence,  but Alec didn’t really think they would stay.  Sure, the idea was pleasing to them, but it would also make them fundamentally _not_ transgenic.   He understood their dilemma.

                By the next morning, they, too, were gone.  The camp wasn’t particularly quiet, it sounded the same as it always did, but it was noticeably smaller.  He wondered if this was how Dean had felt, the morning Alec and his pack had left.   Shrugging it off, he called out orders to move out towards the edge of Seattle—Max had been leaving messages, and he figured he should probably respond before Death whisked them off to wherever their Hunt would be stationed.

 

* * *

 

 

                This was…wrong.

                Alec and his small pack were sitting in a holding cell, a bit away from command center in Terminal City.  The holding cell thing was _really_ starting to get to him, but it was the fear, the lack of recognition by the guards that worried him the most.  That, and he was bored.  It had been three hours.

                “Princess?”  Alec leapt to his feet, never more happy to see the damned dinosaur called Mole.

                “Mole! Still as gorgeous as ever.”  He grinned, grasping his friend’s arm through the bars.

                Mole grinned at him, but stepped back as soon as the contact was broken.   Alec swore he could _breathe_ the fear his ‘friend’ was putting out.  “I didn’t think it was really you.”

                The comment was so off, that it took Alec a moment to respond.  “Who else would it be?  Beside Felix and I, the whole 49-line was wiped out.”

                “That’s not what I meant.”  Mole gave a sigh, lighting the end of his cigar.  “You don’t smell right, Princess.”

                “I have the best nose designed by Manticore, and _I_ don’t smell a difference.”  Felix announced, stepping up to the bars.  “And how good is a lizard’s sense of smell anyway?”

                Mole shot Felix a look.  “Decent enough.  And why would you notice when your own scent has shifted?”  The lizard man gave Felix a slight sniff, and then chuckled, puffing on his cigar.  “And how would you notice over the smell of grass?”

                Felix snorted.  “Grass?  Really, old man?”

                “Off topic.”  Alec snapped.  “Seriously, though, our scent can’t have…changed.”

                “Well, it has.”  And there was Max, finally making an appearance.  From the look she and Mole exchanged, she had been waiting for his ok.  Alec grinned to himself; she was finally learning.

                “So, should I call you ‘your highness’ or would a ‘Madame president’ do?”  He smirked; goading her had been one of his favorite past-times.

                But Max didn’t seem willing to play the game.  “Your scent is something we have never encountered before. “  She shuddered.  “You smell like death.”

                Alec felt the collective alarm of his pack, and quickly—empathically—sent out a wave of calm.  But, this was apparently the wrong thing to do, as Max stepped back behind Mole, pressing herself against the wall.  Her alarm was palatable. 

                “What the hell was _that_ , psy-ops?”  Max nearly shrieked.

                It was at that moment when Keegan tapped him on the shoulder, whispering, “That was kinda strong.”

                Alec shifted uncomfortably, really not wanting to have this conversation.  “Maxie, I’ve _always_ been able to do that.  I just…didn’t.”  He shrugged.  “You never had a problem with me _sensing_ emotions; I was your living lie detector for years.”  And that’s when it hit him: sensing was passive.  She was afraid of him _manipulating_ her emotions.  “Look, I’m sorry.  I should have said something.”

                Max stepped back to the bars, still looking nervous, but throwing up the tough-girl façade she loved to wear so much.  “It’s not important right now.  Look, why did it take you so long to respond?”

                “Kinda dealing with some shit.”  Alec didn’t want to elaborate, but from the look Max was giving him (and the not so pleasant poke to the ribs from Keegan) he knew he had to.  “We averted the apocalypse at least twice now.  Apparently this makes us some hot shit, because we’ve got some rather…supernatural job offers.”

                “Yeah-huh.”  Max stared at him, as if she had truly never seen him before.  “Is that why you shimmer?”

                “We’re not fucking vampires.”  Felix snapped, looking really offended.  “Gods, shimmering is just as bad as sparkling.”

                Max ignored him.  “So?”

                Alec shrugged.  “We’ve still got three days before we give our answer, but we’re leaning towards ‘yes’.”

                For some reason, this seemed to dishearten Max.  “You’re really not one of us anymore, are you?”

                “What?”  Alec rather forcefully shoved Felix back with the rest of his pack, stepping up closer to Max.  “I’m still me.  X5-494.  Loveable transgenic rogue.”

                But she was shaking her head.  “No, I really don’t think so.”  She met his eyes, taking one of his hands in hers.  “Alec, you know I was never good with the scenting and stuff, but ever since you started running with the Winchesters, your scent… it’s different.  None of the guards recognized you as transgenic.  What are you doing?”

                “Castiel wasn’t lying, Maxie.”

                “I know that!  But do you understand?”  She turned away, brushing past Mole, who was relighting his cigar.  “We’re made by humans.  You’re running with _angels_.”

                “And demons.” Misha piped up, only to be shushed by the rest of his pack.

                Max sighed, as Alec hung his head.  “Demons?  I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that’s true.  We ran into something a month or two ago…thought it was a feral transgenic, but ended up being a _thing_ called a windego.”  Alec made an alarmed noise, but Max cut him off.  “We’ve had to adapt, and we’ve done pretty good.  Logan managed to contact some guy named Garth who explained the whole thing.  But this is all beside the point.”  Max hugged herself, looking uncertain.

                It was then that Alec really registered the lack of a certain Logan Cale.  “What happened?”

                “We’re relocating.  All of us.  Being here has made us a target, and the anonymity of the Winchester Clan has made a pretty good argument.”  She sighed.  “Moving around is the only option we have, since they refuse to grant us the right of land owner-ship.  We’ve been fighting and fighting…but we’re failing.”

                Alec nodded.  “And what happened to Cale?” Max didn’t answer.  Alec found he really didn’t need one.  “Why contact us?”

                “So you knew home wouldn’t be here.”  Her voice caught on the word ‘home’, and Alec was seriously questioning his ability to read Max now: this was not the same female he had left all those years ago.

                Keegan seemed to catch on, and, rather jealously, grabbed Alec’s hand.  He smirked to himself, but still found himself hurting for Max.  “This hasn’t been my home for a long time.”  Alec replied.  “But you and Mole should hook up with the Winchesters.  Joshua too.”

                “Why not your pack?”  Mole asked, raising a scaly eyebrow.

                Alec chuckled.  “You have no idea who we answer to.”

                What surprised him was Mole’s grin.  “Sounds like fun.”

                Max sighed.  “Of course you’re going to go with them.”

                “Max, I highly doubt it.  Firstly, I don’t think either of you would believe it, and secondly, he’s 2IC.” Alec said, crossing his arms.

                “That didn’t matter to you.” 

The remark stung him, and, he admitted, it should.  After all, he had been 2IC before running off with Sam, Dean and Keegan all those years ago.  “Max, you didn’t need me. “ He lowered his voice,  “And you made your choice.”

Max huffed, shaking herself back into her tough-girl façade.  “That has nothing to do with this, and I swear I will beat you to next Tuesday if you bring that up again.”  Alec raised his shoulders, giving her his best ‘meh’.  She sighed.  “I’ll have you out in a shake, but I wouldn’t recommend sticking around.  You wouldn’t believe the berth everyone’s giving this place.”  Mole seemed to take that as his cue to unhook his keys from his belt, and he stepped towards the door, unlocking it.

“Are you serious about not sticking around?” Misha asked, sounding a little worried.  “I had told some of my unit mates I would swing by…”

“You can try.  But they may have already moved out.  I’ll have Dix get the list of the remaining transgenics.” Max offered a small smile, patting Misha on the shoulder.  “I am glad to see all of you are ok.”

“You planning on having a yearly meet up?  Make sure all these roving groups are ok?” Clinic asked, though Alec already knew the answer.  They couldn’t.  It would risk exposure.

And Max didn’t answer either.  Her smile slid from her face, and she sighed, sadly.  “I’ll go get Dix now.”

 

* * *

 

                “You know, if I knew we were going to _shimmer_ , I would have never said yes to this whole thing.”  Felix grumbled, rubbing at his bare forearm which, unsurprisingly, was reflecting light.  “I’m fucking iridescent.”  Keegan was snickering to herself, just shaking her head. “What?”

                “Be glad you weren’t born Fey.” She said, scratching one of the hell hound puppies’ bellies.  She had taken to helping him with the little ones—they were slightly more of a handful than he was expecting, and she had experience with teleportation.

                There was an exasperated sigh, and the two looked up to see Alec holding one of the puppies.  They both were sopping wet.  “So, I’m minding my own business, taking a well-deserved bath, when—“

                Felix was on his feet, grabbing the puppy from Alec and checking it over.  “How long was he under?”

                “A second.  If that.”  Alec patted Felix’s shoulder.  “Guy dropped outta thin air.  Luckily, I have excellent reflexes.  Right, little fella?”  Alec leaned forward, nose to nose with the wet puppy, using two fingers to gently scratch behind its ear.  “We need to figure out what’s going on, and how to keep them from ‘porting all over.  At least until they’re old enough to fend for themselves.”

                “It will be easy, if you set goofer dust.”  The voice took them all completely by surprise, and they spun, going for their weapons.  To their surprise, none other than Dean Winchester was standing there, looking bemused.  “You bred puppies.  What an excellent use of your time.”

                Felix huffed, and pulled his coat tighter around him.  “Dude, you have no sense of fun.  And besides, _you’re_ just prejudiced.”

                Dean certainly looked uncomfortable.  “You’d be too, if you were ripped to shreds and dragged into hell by one of your little…pets.”

                “Huh,” Felix nodded.  “Fair point.”

                “So, what’cha doing up this way, Dad?”  Alec asked, after allowing himself to be pulled into a one armed hug by his older clone.  “Last I heard, you and the Clan were down by Florida.”

                Dean leaned against the nearest trailer, looking over the small camp.  “Georgia, actually, and a mutual friend.”  He looked back to Alec.  “So, judging by the shimmering, I’m guessing you already talked to Death.”

                Alec nodded, smirking a little bit.  “Yeah, he gave us a week to decide.  Today’s the day we give our answer.”

                “Leaning towards yes.”

                “Yeah…”  Alec took an exaggerated look at himself, chuckling.  “Wasn’t expecting a physical reaction before giving a formal answer, but, hey.”  He absently wiped at the back of his hand.  “I really hope it’s temporary.”

                Dean stared at him for a long moment.  “Ever since I’ve been transgenic, I can… _see_ things.  Can see their…inhumanness-thing.” He gave a little shrug.  “Sam suspects it’s the demon blood, but I’ve had Hunters _swear_ cats and dogs could see the supernatural too.  Somehow, I have no doubt that you will look like that _Twilight_ douche bag  to anything transgenic or supernatural.”  And he grinned.

                Alec wanted to punch him, but figured that was a bit much.  “Thanks for the vote of confidence, I’m leaning towards the fact we’ll have to blend in.”

                At that, Dean paused, sucking his teeth.  Alec had that same habit when bad news was about to be said.  He braced himself for the worse.  “Sammy says you guys aren’t exactly…subtle.  The Hunt never has been, hence it’s wonderfully explicit documentation.  I got some books for you in the car, if you want to catch up.”

                He cocked an eyebrow.  “By what definition of ‘subtle’ are we defining this? Yours or Sammy’s?”

                Dean’s expression grew more serious, something Alec didn’t think was possible.  “Felix’s.”

 

* * *

 

                Heavy thuds woke Alec from the doze he had fallen into.  He sat up, moving towards the sounds, barely recognizing that the rest of his pack was moving with him.  It was dusk now, and it was time to give their answer.

                Death was standing in the clearing that Sam and Dean had parked in earlier, one hand holding the reins of a pale grey horse with bright red eyes.  He was smiling.  “Hello, Alec.”

                There was a lump in Alec’s throat that he had to swallow before he found his voice. “Hello, Death.”

                “Oh, come now.”  Death stepped away from his steed, reaching out and clasping Alec’s shoulder in a friendly-ish way.  “This isn’t going to hurt, and the learning curve, I’ve heard, is exceptional.  And I’ve already assured you that the core of your _other_ pack will remain immune to the effects of your Rides.”

                “Yeah, that was…a worry.”  Alec glanced at the others of his pack, but found that they were all still, almost…resigned.  “We’re not actually passing judgment, are we?”

                Death’s smile was slightly cool.  “A bit above your paygrade, don’t you think?  No, you’re just doing a mass collection.  A little something to remind the world that Chaos is the natural order.”  He turned away from the transgenics, waving his hand at the mist that had crept around their ankles.  “Your steeds.”  Black horses, at least a dozen, materialized.  “You may invite souls to join your Hunt, though I advise you only choose ones you can stand.”  And he started towards his own horse, as if to leave.

                “Wait!”  Alec called, and Death paused.  “How do we know where to go? Do we get assignments, or…?”

                Death sighed.  “You’ll be Called.  Or Pulled…whichever the Reapers are calling it nowadays.  We you expecting post-it notes?”  He turned, giving the small pack one last look.  “You were Tapped for a reason.  You’re overthinking this.  Pick a steed and just…follow those astounding instincts of yours.” He was gone before Alec had blinked again.

                After a long moment, Alec turned, unsurprised to find his pack so close.  “Anyone know how to ride a horse?”

* * *

 

                There was a strange tingling sensation when Alec took the reins of the horse at the front of the group.  It snorted in response, as if it also felt the connection.  But it was only when Clinic had finally settled onto her horse, the last of them to manage it, that the tingling became a _pull_ , and the horse reared—Alec felt secure, as if the saddle and tack were more than ordinary—and then they were—

                Elsewhere.  At first, Alec wasn’t sure exactly where, but the bright lights and tall buildings suddenly made it quite clear.

                “Hell of a way to announce the Hunt!”  He heard Felix yell, “Running through Times Square!”

                “It’s perfect!”  Keegan called in response.

                Alec couldn’t find his own voice, still taking in the rush, the _knowing_ , the—

                A little girl was suddenly seated side saddle in front of him.  She clutched a stuffed animal in one hand, and lightly held the front of his shirt with the other.  She didn’t seem afraid, and when she turned and looked up at him, she giggled in delight.

                He found his voice.  “Who—what?” His horse slowed, following his confusion, and the rest of the Hunt slowed as well. 

                This was apparently wrong, because the little girl frowned.  “No!  You’ve got to keep chasing him!” And Alec saw the blood on the stuffed dog, the bruising on her small neck—and it clicked.

                His snarl of rage was inhumane, but the child was not afraid.  There was a fierce glee in  her face, and if Alec had been less enraged, he would have seen his first taste of the spell the Wild Hunt cast over the souls it took.  But in that moment, he just urged his horse on, speeding back up to the hair-raising speeds they had been running at before, aware of only that his snarl was echoed by each member of his pack, and seemingly thousands of others.  Ahead of them, a man was screaming in absolute terror.  His hands were bloody, and his shirt was torn, but he was running.  Every time he glanced behind him, his scream was renewed, and he put on an extra spurt of speed.  He dodged left, off the main road and down an alley.  Alec’s horse changed direction without needing to be prompted, and Alec saw that they were close, so very close.  The little girl was screaming with the Hunt now, her grip on his shirt strong with the rise in her emotions.  And then she reached, and he reached, and the man’s hair was in his hand—

                Alec yanked the man from his feet, holding him by his hair even as he kicked and screamed.  The dark mist that swirled around the horses’ hooves solidified into shapes—hell hounds, shucks, black dogs and wargs—and Alec felt himself smile.  “You know what you did.”  He said, and the little girl in front of him nodded vehemently in agreement. 

                The man was beyond words, his mouth open in a silent scream while his eyes popped in terror.

                “Do it, Alec.”  Misha hissed, his voice completely inhuman.  “We have more to hunt tonight.”

                “And more to save.”  Keegan said, bringing her horse up alongside Alec’s, and gently prying the little girl from her spot.  “And you, little one, need to let go of this anger so you can Go On.”

                Felix chuckled.  “You know what she needs before she can.  Do it, Alec.”

                “Do it.”  Clinic added.

                Nixie also spoke up, “Now.”

                Alec felt a feral grin spread across his face.  “Well, ok then.” He let go of the man’s hair, though several clumps still stuck to his fingers.  He brushed it off while he watched the man struggle on the ground, already torn to beyond recognition…not that Alec knew who he was anyway.  He turned to look back at the girl, but she was little more than an outline, watching the man—her father? Step father?—be eaten alive.  And, at last, with a sigh, she vanished, her hold on Keegan’s shirt leaving a ripple as if a breeze had passed.

                For a long moment, no one spoke; no one needed to.  Alec looked to each of his pack, then down to the black mist that had reformed.  “You know, I think we can cover more ground if we split up… drive them towards a central location…make this a real fox hunt.” He knew they would anyway, the tingling was becoming a pull again.  “Let’s do this.”

                By dawn, they had taken or rescued over two hundred souls.

 

 

* * *

 

                “The hangover gets easier.”  Death said, and Alec nearly bolted out of his bunk.

                Beside him, Keegan also started awake, and she gave a squawk of surprise when she saw who was standing next to their bed.

                Death rolled his eyes.  “You worked a lot faster than I expected, but also used a lot more energy.  I would suggest slowing the pace of your next Ride.”

                Alec blinked.  “Um…ok.  Thanks.”

                Another sigh.  “Your pack seems more or less rested, though I think they’d prefer a few more hours of rest.  But I brought pizza.”

                And Alec gave another long, slow blink.  “You brought pizza.”

                “This conversation is trying my patience.  Yes, I brought pizza.  I have been known to reward those in my employ, if only occasionally.  And I wish to debrief you.”  Death, despite his tone, had the ghost of a smile on his lips.  “You still require sustenance, and this pizza happens to be excellent.”  He stood.  “I will wake the others.  Breakfast will be ready in five minutes.”

                Alec waited until Death had left the tent before he looked at Keegan.  “He brought pizza.”

                “Oh, shut up.”  She said, smiling while smacking him gently on the chest.  “I’m hungry, I say we go eat.”

                He caught her before she could move though.  “So, did last night feel…like a particularly awesome assassination target, with a bit of heist anticipation and a bunch of fucking insane sex thrown in? Or was that just me?  Please tell me I’m not the only one liking this.”

                The twinkle in her eye answered him before she did.  “Some of that sex was after, tomcat.”  She purred.

                He pulled her to him, kissing her passionately before finally relinquishing his hold and getting out of bed himself.  After all, Death brought pizza.

               

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> this is it. the end. no more tales of the winchester clan. what started off as an insane idea in Just Another Reason, continued on in Sojourn, teased in Big Boys and now is finally wrapped up with the Wild Hunt.
> 
> thanks for sticking with me.  
> This, and all my other works are available for epub/mobi download.  
> 


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